Edmonton Tornado
Encyclopedia
The Edmonton Tornado, an event also known as Black Friday to Edmontonians, was a powerful and devastating tornado
that ripped through the eastern part of Edmonton
, Alberta
, Canada
and parts of neighbouring Strathcona County
on the afternoon of Friday, July 31, 1987.
The tornado remained on the ground for an hour, cutting a swath of destruction 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) long and up to a kilometre (0.6 miles, or 3000 feet) wide in places, and peaking at F4 on the Fujita scale
, but may have briefly become an F5. The tornado killed 27 people, injured more than 300 people, destroyed more than 300 homes, and caused more than $332.27 million CAD ($586.7 million in 2011 CAD) in property damage at four major disaster sites. The loss of life, injuries and destruction of property made it the worst natural disaster in Alberta's recent history and one of the worst in Canada's history.
Weather forecasts issued during the morning and early afternoon of July 31, 1987 for Edmonton revealed a recognition by Environment Canada
of a high potential for unusually severe thunderstorms that afternoon. Environment Canada responded swiftly upon receipt of the first report of a tornado touchdown from a resident of Leduc County
which is immediately adjacent to Edmonton's southern boundary.
This tornado has been under scrutiny by Environment Canada during the last couple of years, as to whether or not it could be considered for an F5 rating. If done this would make it the earliest such tornado since records have been kept, next to the Elie, Manitoba tornado
. The tornado's maximum recorded wind speed was 416km/h. The wind speed for a F5 tornado is 419km/h.
and police
were responding, Canada's Department of National Defence
placed helicopters and ambulances on standby at the Canadian Forces
Base, Edmonton, and provided reconnaissance
flights for the City of Edmonton and the deputy prime minister
.
At the onset of the storm Emergency Preparedness Canada
established contact with the Government of Alberta
Emergency Response Centre
. EPC established a liaison office at the response centre at approximately 1800 hours that same day.
As emergency personnel responded to the industrial area, potential threats from dangerous goods
came to light. Alberta
's Compliance Information Centre dispatched its dangerous goods
inspectors and the provincial environmental response team to the area.
The emergent post-disaster response period lasted for approximately three weeks including immediate disaster assistance for victims. At the end of August 1987 details of the overall damage costs were gathered and the Government of Alberta announced an extensive disaster recovery program with the assistance of the Government of Canada
.
The Emergency Public Warning System
was developed as a result of the 1987 Tornado Disaster. The warning system
breaks into private and public broadcasts on radio
, television
and cable systems. It alerts the public for all disaster
hazard
s that threaten to strike with little or no warning. The warning system is also used for issuing Amber Alert
s.
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
that ripped through the eastern part of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and parts of neighbouring Strathcona County
Strathcona County, Alberta
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in central Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park.It is located in Division No. 11 and is also part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. More than half of the population lives in Sherwood Park, a large community east of...
on the afternoon of Friday, July 31, 1987.
The tornado remained on the ground for an hour, cutting a swath of destruction 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) long and up to a kilometre (0.6 miles, or 3000 feet) wide in places, and peaking at F4 on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
, but may have briefly become an F5. The tornado killed 27 people, injured more than 300 people, destroyed more than 300 homes, and caused more than $332.27 million CAD ($586.7 million in 2011 CAD) in property damage at four major disaster sites. The loss of life, injuries and destruction of property made it the worst natural disaster in Alberta's recent history and one of the worst in Canada's history.
Weather forecasts issued during the morning and early afternoon of July 31, 1987 for Edmonton revealed a recognition by Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
of a high potential for unusually severe thunderstorms that afternoon. Environment Canada responded swiftly upon receipt of the first report of a tornado touchdown from a resident of Leduc County
Leduc County, Alberta
Leduc County is a municipal district located immediately south of the City of Edmonton. It is east to west and north to south, and has a population of over 12,000 people. The municipal district is home to scenic prairie parkland and several lakes...
which is immediately adjacent to Edmonton's southern boundary.
This tornado has been under scrutiny by Environment Canada during the last couple of years, as to whether or not it could be considered for an F5 rating. If done this would make it the earliest such tornado since records have been kept, next to the Elie, Manitoba tornado
Elie, Manitoba Tornado
The Elie, Manitoba Tornado was an F5 tornado that struck the town of Elie, Manitoba, Canada, on June 22, 2007. While several houses were leveled, no one was injured or killed by the tornado. Two well-built homes in the town were swept clean off of their foundations, justifying the F5...
. The tornado's maximum recorded wind speed was 416km/h. The wind speed for a F5 tornado is 419km/h.
Chronology of events on July 31st, 1987
- 1:40 pm Severe thunderstorm watchSevere thunderstorm watch[File:Annual_severe_thunderstorm_watch_frequency_in_the_United_States.svg|thumb|right|300px|Map of average annual severe thunderstorm watches in the United States between 1999 and 2008.Legend:...
issued for the City of Edmonton, Counties of Leduc, Parkland and Strathcona - 2:45 pm Severe thunderstorm warningSevere thunderstorm warningA severe thunderstorm warning is issued when trained storm spotters or a Doppler weather radar indicate a strong thunderstorm is producing dangerously large hail or high winds, capable of causing significant damage. In the United States, it does not account for lightning or flooding...
issued for same area - 2:52 pm Weatheradio CanadaWeatheradio CanadaWeatheradio Canada, in French Radiométéo Canada, is a Canadian radio network that broadcasts weather information. Owned and operated by Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada division, the network transmits in both official languages from 199 sites across Canada.In most locations,...
emergency tone activated for Edmonton transmitter - 2:59 pm Tornado sighting reported to weather office by a citizen near Leduc, 25 km south of Edmonton
- 3:04 pm Tornado warningTornado warningA tornado warning is an alert issued by government weather services to warn that severe thunderstorms with tornadoes may be imminent. It can be issued after a tornado or funnel cloud has been spotted by eye, or more commonly if there are radar indications of tornado formation...
issued over Weatheradio - 3:25 pm Tornado causes F2 - F3 damageFujita scaleThe Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
in the southeast area of Mill WoodsMill WoodsMill Woods is a residential district in the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located in southeast Edmonton, Mill Woods is bounded by Whitemud Drive to the north, 91 Street to the west, 34 Street to the east, and Anthony Henday Drive to the south... - 3:30 pm Peak intensity: F4 damageFujita scaleThe Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
in Refinery RowRefinery Row (Edmonton)Refinery Row is the unofficial name given to the concentration of oil refineries in west Sherwood Park, Strathcona County, Alberta, just east of the city of Edmonton....
, killing 12 people and injuring many more - 4:25 pm Tornado causes F3 - F2 damageFujita scaleThe Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
in the Evergreen Trailer Park causing injuries and 15 deaths, then dissipates
Post-disaster response
While municipal emergency agencies, fire departments, ambulanceAmbulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
and police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
were responding, Canada's Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
placed helicopters and ambulances on standby at the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
Base, Edmonton, and provided reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
flights for the City of Edmonton and the deputy prime minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
The Deputy Prime Minister of Canada is an honorary position in the cabinet, conferred at the discretion of the prime minister. There is currently, , no deputy prime minister....
.
At the onset of the storm Emergency Preparedness Canada
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Public Safety Canada , formerly known as Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada , legally incorporated as the federal Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for protecting Canadians and helping to maintain a...
established contact with the Government of Alberta
Politics of Alberta
The politics of Alberta are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Edmonton, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
Emergency Response Centre
Emergency operations center
An emergency operations center, or EOC, is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level in an emergency situation, and ensuring the continuity of operation...
. EPC established a liaison office at the response centre at approximately 1800 hours that same day.
As emergency personnel responded to the industrial area, potential threats from dangerous goods
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
came to light. Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
's Compliance Information Centre dispatched its dangerous goods
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
inspectors and the provincial environmental response team to the area.
The emergent post-disaster response period lasted for approximately three weeks including immediate disaster assistance for victims. At the end of August 1987 details of the overall damage costs were gathered and the Government of Alberta announced an extensive disaster recovery program with the assistance of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
.
The Emergency Public Warning System
Emergency Public Warning System
The Emergency Public Warning System was a system used in the province of Alberta, Canada until October 2011, whereby local or provincial authorities could warn the public about impending or current emergencies affecting their area...
was developed as a result of the 1987 Tornado Disaster. The warning system
Warning system
A warning system is any system of biological or technical nature deployed by an individual or group to inform of a future danger. Its purpose is to enable the deployer of the warning system to prepare for the danger and act accordingly to mitigate or avoid it....
breaks into private and public broadcasts on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and cable systems. It alerts the public for all disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
hazard
Hazard
A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency situation. A hazard does not exist when it is not...
s that threaten to strike with little or no warning. The warning system is also used for issuing Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
s.
See also
- List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- Tornado mythsTornado mythsDespite the fact that many misconceptions about tornadoes are no longer prevalent, many still remain. This can be attributed to many factors, including stories and news reports told by people unfamiliar with tornadoes, sensationalism by news media and the presentation of incorrect information in...